Covered in this lesson:
- Continuation of answer to Question 51 – What is Tawhīd Al-Asmā was-Sifāt (Tawhīd of Allāh’s Names and Attributes)? – from the explanation of Shaikh ‘Uthaymīn (رحمه الله).
- “How do we summarize this Tawhīd?”. It is to single out Allāh with respect to what He has named Himself with and which He has described Himself with upon the Book and what His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم has described Him with. This is by affirming the attributes without; 1) distorting 2) negating 3) specifying how and 4) likening Him (with what we see in the creation).
- Additional point: “What is the nature of our belief?” Our belief is that this is haqīqah (true and real) and not something metaphorical, allegorical or symbolic, etc., whilst not falling into Takyīf (specifying how) and Tamthīl (likening).
- This type of Tawhīd, many people have deviated in it. They have gone into many different orientations. The Ummah has split into many groups and sects on this issue which can be summarised into the following four factions:
1) The extremists – those who exaggerated in negating the Names and Attributes of Allāh. They (such as the Jahmīyyah) leave and exit Islam by way of this negation, and exaggeration in it. They said the moment we give Allāh a ma’na (meaning) such as mercy, power, etc., we have automatically likened Him to the creation. There are all sorts of philosophical aspects they took from the Greeks whereby Allāh becomes an abstract notion in your head.
2) Those who are intermediate (in the middle) such as the Ash’arīs and Kullabīyyah, who affirm something of the attributes.
3) Those who are close to Ahlus-Sunnah, they overwhelmingly agree with Ahlus-Sunnah but have traces of following Ash’arīs, etc.
4) Those upon the way of the Salaf – Allāh is named with whatever He has described Himself with or what His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم has described Him with. - Example (#1) of Allah’s Names and how we are to believe in them – in Ayātul-Kursī, the names “Al-Hayy, al-Qūyyum” mentioned. We believe Allāh has these Names, they are from the Names of Allāh. What is the ma’na (meaning), what does it comprise? It is perfect life, not imperfect life that we (the creation) have. His life is not preceded by absence nor succeeded by absence. There is perfection in His attributes unlike for men. The two realities are different between the Creator and the creation.
- Example (#2) relating to as-Samī (All-Hearing). Allāh hears all things. For Allāh to be called as-Samī but He does not have hearing (which is the way of the Mu’tazilah) is impossible! Allāh must hear by necessity, this is what hearing necessitates. They (the Mu’tazilah) play games as they can’t deny what is in the Qur’ān but use this (affirming the Names of Allāh but not what they necessitate of Allāh having attributes) as a ploy of protection against rebuke by the people.
- The Ash’arīs say Allāh’s Hearing means His knowledge. They say affirming actual hearing would be a change in Allāh’s essence. They use sophistry (such as using ta’wīl, which is explaining away the attributes) and make out they are clever and sophisticated. They say affirming (the attributes) would be tashbīh or tamthīl (according to their erroneous viewpoint).
- Sifāt Khabarīyyah – attributes that only come from Khabar (reports) e.g. Face, Hands, etc.
“Both His Hands are widely outstretched, He spends (of His Bounty) as He wills.” [Qu’rān, 5:64]. Allāh affirmed two Hands. Allah gives abundantly. It is obligatory we try not to imagine this attribute of Allāh nor describe it with our tongues e.g. ‘Allāh’s Hands is like this or like that’ i.e. specifying howness, nor likening to our hands because: “There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer”. [Qu’rān, 42:11]. - We affirm the Hukm of attribute. Allah is uncreated, we can’t fathom Allāh’s essence which is unlike ours. Therefore, the reality of His attributes are outside our capability of imagining or understanding in our minds.
- We believe there is a haqīqah to the attribute, we halt at that and don’t specify how. The people of deviation however make tasawwur, they think of man, tissue, bones, etc., and say: ‘How can Allāh have a hand?, this is Kufr! They make that likeness by imagining a likeness. If we don’t know the reality of Allāh’s essence then how can we know the reality of Allāh’s attributes? We don’t know reality of the hand of a Jinn, which not like that of a human. If that’s the case for something of the creation then how much more so for the Creator and the created?!
- Verses from the Qur’ān forbidding and warning against speaking about Allāh out of ignorance and without knowledge: “Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم): “(But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are Al-Fawahish (great evil sins, every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse, etc.) whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in worship) with Allāh for which He has given no authority, and saying things about Allāh of which you have no knowledge.” [7:33] and “do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge… [17:36]. Those who engage in takyīf lie about Allāh, they speak out of ignorance.
- Example (#3) relating to Allāh’s Actions such as استوى (Istiwā, rising over the Throne). This is affirmed in seven places in the Qur’ān, ٱسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى that is; [7:54], [10:3], [13:2], [20:5], [25:59], [32:4] and [57:4]. In all places the words استوى and عَلَىٰ are used. When the verb Istiwā is made transitive with the word عَلَىٰ it can only ever have one meaning, ‘Uluww (rising and ascending, being above). Allah is established over The Throne, with an aboveness over all of His creation which befits His majesty. It is a true and real aboveness, not metaphorical (or allegorical, symbolic, etc.).
- The way creation makes Istiwā is not the same way as Allāh makes Istiwā. Some change istiwā to Istawlā (with the noun being istīlā) which means to conquer (something) like people, place, etc. This is distorting words from their proper place. Anything that is in a direction must be a body they say. Their chain of thinking is taken from Aristotle. They follow the way of the Yahūd who distort words from their proper places.
- When you flee from the truth fearing a thing, you will fall into something equal or worse. They are trying to flee from tajsīm but fell into something worse. They negated something from Rubūbīyyah, mulk (dominion). If we say Allāh conquered the Throne then why not say Allāh conquered the earth (too)?
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